Rural wireless deployments in India

Abstract: The Internet provides access to communications, information and opportunity to people. Growth of technology and its benefits should penetrate down to every citizen of a country. Rural Areas without Internet access risk being left behind in the information age. To be competitive, they must have broad and sustainable Internet services. Internet connectivity is especially important in developing countries like India where 67% of the population hail from rural areas. It is clear that most developing countries have still basic problems such as education, poverty, housing, and health, which are sure priorities for any government, it is important to determine whether an advanced informational infrastructure provides a tool for economic and social development. There are a lot of challenges that need to be considered while providing connectivity to rural areas such as high cost of installations, a dearth of skilled labor, deficiency of reliable power sources, local cooperation and support, etc. In this paper, we would like to discuss various dimensions and infrastructures in order to establish connectivity in the rural parts of India. We would also focus on the importance of maintenance of these wireless deployments and how it can be achieved.